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What Gear Ratio Is Best For Tuna Fishing?

While the boat is still moving you can drop the reel into 2/1 low gear and pull the fish toward the boat instead of helplessly watching line peel off the reel. Yes, a 6/1 gear ratio will work for tuna…but how hard do you want to work?

What is a 5.2 1 gear ratio good for?

The low gear ratios like 5.2:1 and 5.3:1 are great for fishing baits that pull hard like deep crankbaits, big swimbaits, and deep water spinnerbaits. The low gear ratio helps you reel the bait slower, keeping it in the strike zone longer when fishing moving baits in the deep water.

What is a 5.0 1 gear ratio good for?

Slow. A slow reel is the ideal choice for most crankbaiting. A reel with about a 5:1 gear ratio is going to help you get your baits to their maximum depth and also give you superior feel, so you know exactly what’s going on with your lure.

What size reel is good for tuna?

The reel – A strong rod can take the weight of a strong fish like the bluefin tuna, but the reel must also be tough. A 130 pound reel is a good bet. Back this up with 200 pound dacron line in black when chunking.

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What pound test line is used for tuna fishing?

30 pound test is a good line size with many using 40 pound. There are occasions when giant tuna show up and even the heavier set up is not enough. But for tuna up to 100 pounds 40 pound test can do the job. With this second set up you will want a stouter rod and greater line capacity.

How much drag do you need for tuna?

While trolling, the lever should be pulled back from Strike to a setting about one-fifth the line strength. That’s about 10 pounds of drag for 50-pound line, which is plenty of punch to set the hook but light enough to prevent snapped lines.

What is a 7.3 1 gear ratio good for?

It is a reel speed that can really work for just about everything,” he says. While many like to crank with slow retrieves, a 6.6:1 and 7.3:1 Revo STX are Card’s favorites for cranking. “I burn a squarebill a lot and for that I’ll use the 7.3:1. It’s also a great choice for ChatterBaits and swimbaits,” he shares.

What is a 7.5 1 gear ratio good for?

So, in the case of a baitcasting reel, a reel with a 7.5:1 gear ratio will retrieve 60 feet of line much more quickly than a reel with a 4.5:1 gear ratio. This principle is what causes anglers to say that 7.5:1 is a high gear ratio. In reality, though, it’s not higher, just faster to retrieve line.

What is a 6.2 1 gear ratio good for?

6.2:1 to 6.5:1 – We personally use this speed range anytime we are tossing spinnerbaits, throwing jerkbaits, shallow running and lipless crankbaits, early season swim jigs, vibrating jigs and swimbaits / umbrella rigs.

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What does 5.2 1 mean on a fishing reel?

Using a gear ratio of 5.2:1, for example, the 1 represents one complete turn, or one revolution (360o) of the handle. For baitcasting reels, the 5.2 represents how many complete times the spool turns with one turn of the handle. For spinning reels, it’s very similar—instead of the spool turning, it’s the rotor.

What does 6.2 1 mean on a reel?

Extra high can be over 6:1 with reels like the new 20 Saltiga 14000 XH being a 6.2:1 speed. What that means is how much line with each turn of the handle comes onto the reel, and in some cases it can be over 30cm of line put back onto your spool every full turn of the handle.

How do I choose the right gear ratio?

The conventional procedure for selecting gear ratios is to pick ratios that run the engine rpm to redline at the end of the medium and longest straights, and pick the lower gear ratios to minimize the rev drop at each shift. This method minimizes the number of shifts per lap.

What is the best spinning reel for tuna fishing?

8 Best Tuna Fishing Reels

  1. Penn Fathom Lever Drag.
  2. Penn Squall Lever Drag 2-Speed Trolling Fishing Reel.
  3. PENN Squall II Level Wind Conventional Reel.
  4. Shimano 2020 Saragosa SW A Spinning Reels.
  5. Shimano Torium Star Drag Conventional Reels.
  6. Penn INT12VIS International VI International Reel.
  7. Shimano Talica 20 II Speed Reel.

Do you need a 2 speed reel for tuna fishing?

“There’s no need for a two-speed for white seabass. Same goes for striped marlin and sailfish. They don’t pull hard enough. You want a two-speed for a fish that goes down and stays down, like amberjack, tunas and big halibut.”

What size rod do you need for bluefin tuna?

Rod. For jigging, starter rods just over 5 feet are ideal. I use strictly 7’6” to 7’9” casting rods aboard my boat, and prefer 5’2” to 5’4” jigging rods.

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Can you use braided line for tuna?

I have caught and seen many tuna caught on braid and its definately an advantage. The low stretch allows you to recover line much faster. Learn to tie a bimini twist, uni knot and a double uni knot and you are good to go with solid core line.

What size hooks for bluefin tuna?

Two hook types used to catch bluefin tuna: Mustad circle hooks (left) sizes 11/0 (top) and 12/0 (bottom) and Mustad #9174 straight hooks (right) sizes 6/0 (top) and 7/0 (bottom).

How much drag do you use for giant bluefin tuna?

The traditional bluefin tuna fishing method uses the heaviest of offshore tackle—huge, wench-like lever drag reels with up to 130 pounds of drag pressure paired with short, ultra-heavy tuna fishing rods held with a full-body fighting harness. This fishing gear is assumed to be mandatory when fighting a true giant.

How hard is it to reel in a tuna?

Indeed, reeling in a yellowfin can take from 30 minutes to three hours, making it a true contest of wills between man and fish. Perhaps this is one of the reasons they are a favorite among offshore fishing charters. That said, yellowfin tuna make great sport on the rod and reel.

Why do tuna fishermen pull the line by hand?

If the line is under a lot of tension they can’t just crank the reel, so they pull it in by hand to avoid grinding their reel’s gears to dust.

How do you catch big tuna?

How to catch Yellowfin Tuna. Fishing methods include trolling with small fish, squid, or other trolled baits such as strip baits and artificial lures. Chumming with live bait could be worth a try as well. Whichever technique you choose, remember that this is not the kind of fish that’s going down without a fight.

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